Download L.R. Baggs Deluxe Acoustic EQ: Installation Manual & User's Guide

L
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DELUXE
INSTALLATION
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ACOUSTIC
MANUAL
&
USER'S
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S
GUIDE
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F R O N T A G E
N I P O M O ,
CONTENTS
P
EQ
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1.PACK AGE
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C A
R D .
9 3 4 4 4
W W W . L R B A G G S . C O M
One (1) Deluxe Acoustic Preamp
One (1) Prewired Strapjack Assembly
Two (2) self-stick wire clips
One (1) Mini-plug
Four (4) black flathead screws
2.OVERVI E W
AN D
C AUT IO NS
The Deluxe Acoustic EQ is an add-on onboard preamp/EQ for Hex and LB6 Series pickups. The preamp and four-band equalizer are designed to be
mounted on the side of the guitar (providing easy access to onboard EQ and volume controls), and provides approximately 300 hours of use from
a typical 9-volt battery.
The installation of this system involves detailed woodworking; therefore we recommend that this system be installed by a professional
dealer/installer. We do not provide installation advice or support for home or hobbyist installations. A metal routing template designed
specifically for this product is available as a separate item. This template only outlines holes for the preamp controls and four mounting screws,
and is mostly recommended for users that intend to use this system without the metal faceplate (leaving the controls unlabeled and protruding
through small holes in the wood for a more discrete appearance).
Installers: please read the instructions carefully before proceeding, and be sure that this product will fit the guitar properly before
making any alterations to the instrument. We will not be responsible for any damage to the guitar or personal injury resulting from installation,
improper installation, use or misuse of the product.
3.INSTALL ATION
1. Locate a suitable place on the side of the guitar for the control plate. The area on either side of the waist is usually a good choice. Before
committing to a location, be sure to inspect the inside of the guitar for any obstructions (braces, lining, etc.) that might interfere with the preamp.
The side should curve no more than 1/16” over 3” at the chosen location.
2. After deciding on the location for the control plate, hold it firmly against the side of the guitar and mark the center of each of the four holes in
the corners of the plate with a pointed object. Cover the drilling areas with masking tape and drill a 1/16” hole in each of these pilot holes.
3. If you will be using the faceplate, create a paper template for the cutting area that is roughly the same shape and size as the white rounded
rectangle on the faceplate beneath the L.R. Baggs logo. If you are uncomfortable cutting without a firm guide, create a paper template and use it
to cut a guide from plexiglas or another suitable material. Installers that prefer to not attach the faceplate should order a metal cutting template
for this product (available separately). Screw the template firmly to the side of the guitar using the #4 x 1/2” sheet metal screws and spacers
(provided with the template).
4. Chuck a 1/8” cutter in a Dremel router (with base) so the shank, not the blade, of the cutter will contact to template when the router base is in
contact with the template in routing position.
5. Ease the router, making a plunge to full depth, into the center of each slot to avoid cutting the template. Then carefully remove all the wood
within the slots using the sides of the template slots as routing guides.
6. Remove the template and drill the four 1/16” holes out to a new size of 1/8”. Be careful here as these holes are near the outside of the plate and
mistakes will not be covered up by it. De-burr the inside and outside of the slots and holes with sandpaper or a file. Remove the masking tape
carefully.
7. We strongly recommend that cross-grain reinforcing braces be added to the inside of the guitar. Scrap spruce or mahogany of approximately
3/16” x 3/8” will do nicely. These should be glued on the inside of the guitar just above and below the preamp box and should extend across the
entire side from lining to lining.
8. Fit the control plate to the curvature (if any) of the side now. If there is a curve in the side, the plate may be bent to fit with the fabrication of a
simple jig. If the side has a 1/16” curve over 3”, cut a 3/8” curve in a piece of 2x3 scrap wood with a band saw. Use this jig, with a piece of paper
between the plate face and the jig, in a vise to bend the plate. DO NOT TRY TO BEND THE PLATE FREEHAND AS THIS WILL CAUSE UNEVEN
CURVATURE. This step requires some judgment because the plate is rather resilient and must be over-bent to set it to the right curvature. It is
unlikely that your first attempt will be perfect; modifying the jig is essential to perfecting this.
9. Prepare the guitar for the strapjack by drilling a clean 1/2” hole in the tailblock of the guitar using a step drill. It’s a good idea to mask off the
drilling area to avoid chipping the finish. Remove the strap ring from the end of the jack. There should still be a star washer and locking nut on
the middle of the jack. Put the strapjack into the pre-drilled 1/2” hole using the nut and star washer as a depth guide. The jack should stick out
enough to tighten the strap ring onto the threaded barrel of the jack. Once the depth is set and the barrel is in the hole, screw the strap ring onto
the barrel until the assembly is tight. Use caution when tightening the strap ring so you don’t crack the finish.
10. Solder the pickup wire to the mini-plug. The center of the coaxial cable from the pickup goes to the tip (center) and the shield goes to the
ground. Remember to put the barrel of the plug over the pickup wire before you solder.
11. Position the preamp on the inside of the guitar with the slide controls and knobs in the routed holes in the side of the guitar. Place the control
plate on the outside of the instrument over the preamp, and screw it to the preamp using the black oval-head machine screws provided.
12. Plug the pickup and output harness into the appropriate jacks on the preamp.
13. Remove the pickup from the slot and rotate it one turn to put a loop in the wire. Put the pickup back in its slot. This loop will keep the wire
from rattling or vibrating against the inside of the guitar.
14. Affix the output wire to the side in several places using self-stick wire clips to keep it from rattling. Install a 9V alkaline battery in the clip on
the back of the preamp and restring the guitar. You are finished!
4.USER'S
GUIDE
The output jack has a switch built into it to turn the preamp on and off. When the battery is low (6v) the light will flash to remind you to replace
the battery. This preamp will function down to 4V at which time the light will go out completely. Do not leave cord plugged in when not in use.
Caution: Before plugging or unplugging your guitar be sure the volume of whatever you are plugged into is off! This will prevent a potentially
damaging turn on transient (pop) from hurting anything down line from it.
The Deluxe Acoustic Preamp has a four-band equalizer with frequencies tailored to acoustic guitars. A typical EQ starting point is to boost the low
band a little, cut the mid, add a touch of presence and boost the high ranges slightly. Midrange is quite sensitive and most guitars benefit from
some cut here. Experiment to find the most effective frequency to cut by boosting the slider all the way and adjusting the mid tune knob until
you have found the nastiest frequency. Then pull the mid slider down until you get a pleasing sound. The output level of the preamp is quite hot
and you may find that it can overdrive some amps, effects, etc. If you hear distortion, simply reduce the volume until it goes away. Your guitar may
now be plugged into any PA, sound system, stereo tape recorder, direct box, effects processor, wireless transmitter or guitar amplifier.
Controls:
Low EQ band control: (100 Hz) Use to add or subtract the lower frequencies,
to add warmth or cut feedback.
Midrange Control: (400hZ to 1.6kHz) Sweeps from the upper warmth
frequencies to the nasal range of sound.
+
.8K
+
.4K
Treble control: (10kHz) The very highest frequencies, “air” or “frosting”.
0
Presence control: (5kHz) “Sss” sounds, cymbal sizzle, brightness. Cut here a
little to remove P.A. horn “glare” or boost to add life to a dull speaker.
Volume control: This controls the amount of signal that gets out of the box.
For the best system signal to noise ratio, we recommend that you run the
volume as high as you can without causing the P.A. to distort.
0
LOW
MID
HI
1.2K
MID
TUNE
0
+
1.6K
+
PRES
0
VOL
B
A
T
T
E
R
Y
Deluxe Acoustic Equalizer
Battery status LED: Stays on when the unit is on and then flashes when the
battery is low. The LED will start flashing when the battery reaches 6 volts. When it reaches 5 volts, it will stop flashing and fade away.
Mid tune control: Boost at .4k for more warmth, cut at .8k-1.6k for less nasal quality. Many acoustic guitars have an excess 1kHz when amplified. A
3 to 6dB cut is often good here.